Be Still My Heart
by Drizzle
Summary: Allen finds out about ANOTHER lost sister and Dilly might just fall for her
1. Sleeping Tiger

This is my first fanfic. I got the idea from the wonderful people out there who, like me, love The Vision of Escaflowne and never wanted it to end. Therefore, created some terrific alternative endings to the story. My friend Grace (yes, she's in the story) helped me a lot with all the details, so she definitely deserves credit. Please E-mail me with your feedback, flames, praise, or just to say that you read it, at betweenheart@yahoo.com . If you are thinking; let's get on with it already! I completely agree with you. I'm yawning at myself already.  
  
PS: I don't own Escaflowne.  
  
Sleeping Tiger  
  
As Celena once again regained her body and mind, someone else is trapped inside her, precisely in her brain. For she had created a psychic cell to contain the monster and regain control of herself…  
  
The world twisted past him in a rainbow of colors. He collapsed as the wind threatened to knock him done from his feet once more. His hand groped his head, trying to squeeze out the demon that is trying to tear him apart. He gasped for air, searching for a way out. But there were none, just pain. His joints seemed to pop out at every fragment of his body. He screamed in a silencing tongue, but only the pains of the world answered him back.  
  
As the pivoting came to a stop, an unspeakable stench filled his nostrils. All around him, deteriorating and charred bodies groaned and moaned hazily around him, forming a wall, surrounding him until there was no where else to back into.  
  
He knew what they were; The horrors of her dreams and his own. He tried to empty his mind for the more he shivered, the stronger the wall made. Yet, more appeared from invisible cracks on the floor. He raged in agony and frustration. Will this never stop?  
  
Then, it did. His surrounding turned into drops of vapor as they disappeared. He looked wildly around him but could only find a crystal cubical surrounding him. There was nothing outside, nor were there inside. He started to pound hard upon them, but the walls only grew thicker, until they left barely enough space for him to fold in to himself.  
  
Five years. Many would say that it has been a long time. But in the dimensions of the mind, it's but mere seconds. During this time, he had sought a way out. A crack in Celena's mind. It may not be big, but it's enough for him to escape through…  
  
Celena could feel it…  
  
The monster had returned. The smell of him was horror and gore, with the added bonus of terror.  
  
This time, she will have nowhere to hide.  
  
The security of her room, guarded with soldiers had once been her haven, her sanctuary. It now spun into a nightmare. The towering majesty of her ash blonde furniture was no longer a grand testament to her family's wealth, but a guilded cage that seemed to collapse on her. The luminous carpet of wool tripped beneath her doeskin slippers. She knew she was falling.  
  
Through the deep faded light haunted by leaping shadows she saw the monster as she remembered him in her nightmares.  
  
Covered in blood, and watching her.  
  
The shadows leaping from the fireplace whispered seductively to her, bidding her end.  
  
I'm back…  
  
Author's note  
  
After Celena had turned back in to herself near the end of Escaflowne, she had mentally locked away Dilandau. (If you don't think this is possible, just remember; this is my world, and anything could happen.) Five years later, he manages to break the psychic bonds and control her body again. Celena does not turn into Dilandau (I'll explain later), however, she will drift back and forth out of consciousness mentally and not remember what Dilandau had done in the time she was 'out of it'. 


	2. Welcome Me

Escaflowne is copyrighted by Bandai entertainment. (in other words, not me.)  
  
Welcome Me  
  
Everyday had felt like the birth of a new life to Allen in the last five years. He felt whole, repaired, and more at ease with his past. Life wasn't exactly carefree though. At times, he still had trouble with the king, who couldn't help but blame him for letting Celena, the scapegoat, get away. After the first two years since the Great War, Allen had to hire an army of lawyers to defend Celena from crucification. After that, the king decided to promote him to ambassador of Austria, an apology for putting his dear little sis' on trial. Well, to hell with him. It's a great night, (he just came back from a date) and I intend to enjoy it…  
  
As soon as his thoughts had left him, the clinking of armors rung through the empty courtyard.  
  
"My Lord! I'm sorry to disturb you at this time of night, but Lady Celena told me that she is having some problems that demands your immediate attentions." He spoke before he was in hearing distance. Allen identified the rhythm of the footsteps to be his squire, Tem's.  
  
Tem looked as if he had just run a marathon. The solider, a young boy of nineteen, jerked erect, his face growing hot from the exercise. He wiped away the sweat on his brow and tried hard to stop panting only to remember that he was in the presence of the boss and made an attempt to turn it in to a salute.  
  
"Tem, please stop calling me lord. It suits me as well as it suits Van." Allen chuckled softly. "What's so urgent?"  
  
"Lady Celena won't say sir. But you better go sir, I don't think she's kidding."  
  
"Thank you Tem, you can go to sleep now. It's quite late." The boy smiled and made another attempt of a salute before nearly skipping back to his quarters.  
  
After the last sound of clinking metal faded away. Allen half jogged his way back to his chambers under the moonlight. A court lady glanced his way as he passed by and giggle before floating away past him.  
  
"I didn't know lady Elena was here." Allen said under his breath, trying hard to resist the urge of flirting. He pushed away the idea as the matter of his beloved little sis entered back to his mind. His paces grew more impatient as he pushed open his door and went in from of marbled fireplace where he could see the petit silhouette of Celena stood back turned.  
  
Celena suddenly turned. Her eyes held a hard look. Her pupils were as pale as his skin. She looked somewhat different since dinner. Celena looked like she was in the mood for murder. His psyche told him that this wasn't a joke or challenge. He took hold of the sword by his hip and rested it there.  
  
"What's wrong Celena?" He frowned, puzzled. "Celena, are you okay?"  
  
She moved, then, skimming the floor. Allen raised his hands as she closed, uncertain, surprised. She was a small woman, unarmed, after all, and he was a large man.  
  
She brushed her right arm against his right wrist and then pivoted, sliding beside him, faster than he could turn to follow. As he tried to twist around, she swept his right arm down with both of her hands, to the floor and back, then the edge of her left hand cut down in the back of his shoulder as she moved behind him, twisting her hips. He bent over abruptly, face down, his own arm a crowbar levering his torso down.  
  
Allen knew what was coming next in a flash. She would reach across the back of his head with her right hand, slid it down across the side of his face, and reach under to cup his chin. Then she would pull. And he would be of nothing.  
  
But it didn't come, he was still alive, barely. Wheezing on his knees and staring at Celena's unconscious form. This had happened before, Celena drifting in and out of the Dilandau mood. But nothing this bizarre yet. Allen didn't know what to think. He laughed bitterly to himself, what the hell should he do now?  
  
"HELP!" Allen suddenly started screaming, he didn't know what he was doing. Just that Celena needed it.  
  
A quick scurry of footsteps stopped momentarily only to reveal a young girl of most about sixteen years old. At first Allen had expected Amia, his personal assistant, but this girl looked much more frail, like a porcelain doll. She surveyed the situation with quick eyes. With out a word, she slung Celena over her shoulders and carried her to Allen's bed.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" His head whirled at the pace in which the mysterious girl worked. She stepped softly in front of him and stared him in the eyes. Then, she did something unexpected. She slapped him. And without another word drifted out through the doorway. He tried to shake loose the bells that still echoed annoyingly in his head to kneel by his sister.  
  
"What I'm I going to do Celena? What I'm I going to do?" He cursed himself under his breath. "Stupid, stupid…"  
  
"I'll say." Allen snapped up his head towards the voice, only to meet with the young women who had previously abused his beautiful face. "What the fuck did you do to her?" Her voice sneered at him accusingly.  
  
"I…"  
  
"No, you know something, I don't want to know. You know why?" She answered herself before he had a chance. "Because you guys are all the same, you think you can go woe any women you want and have your way with them." She controlled the urge to slap him again and dick him somewhere unpleasant. She rustled by to where Celena lays and sat on the bed beside her. The girl's hands went into her pockets and took out a bottle of smelling salt.  
  
"Miss?" Her voice cooed Celena to waked up. She waved the bottle under Celena's nose. The swish of the bottle was the only ting that could be heard in the dead silence of the room.  
  
As Allen waited patiently for Celena to wake up, he got a good look at the young girl perched on his bed. Unlike the picture of her in his imagination, she is quite sophisticated. Her eyes were of a dark ocean blue. He nose turned up a bit at the tip giving her a frail look. Her lips are soft pink and parted ever so lightly to whisper soothing words for her unconscious patient. Even under the drawn drapes and only the hot glow light of the fireplace that made a pool of light against crouching shadows, her face was a pale ivory. The most amazing thing about her though, is the wave of ebony curls that cascaded like a cape down to her slender waist. She shifted as Celena finally responded with a whimper.  
  
"Hmmm… Allen?" Celena fluttered her exotic lashes toward the person holding her.  
  
Allen rushed over to her side with only the urgency that a mother would feel for a sick child. He hugged her tightly, afraid that she'd change if he should blink. Celena was alright. Allen finally exhaled.  
  
"Oh, jeez, get a room." The girl rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well you shut up, can't you see she's in shock? Who are you to judge anyway. You can't just burst in and go slapping people." Allen turned to her angrily and back to Celena.  
  
"Allen, stop it. What's going on? Did I get scrambled again?"  
  
"Yes, but you are fine now. Just rest. I have to see to her." Allen glared at the girl and mentioned for to follow him outside.  
  
As soon as Allen closed the heavy doors behind him with a bang, he swung around to scrutinize the girl. Under the brightly lighted halls, Allen finally saw what was different about her. The young women was wearing a black metallic dress that seemed to glow with a black cut off tank top. The only jewelry she wore was a dog tag around her neck. It was the kind they gave out in armies. Allen has never seen anyone so strangely dressed.  
  
"Who the hell are you? I don't remember hiring another maid. You can't just go barging in on other people's business. And you have absolutely no right to slap me." Allen shot her a look that could've killed. He imagined grabbing her wrists and slapping her back, but he held his anger at bay. It would not have been gentle manly behavior.  
  
The girl met his glare with an equal fire and spoke with the fiery of a million daggers.  
  
"I have as much rights as you to be here, if not more. I'm the mistress of this place. I am the late Shazarde's daughter, I am Raffina Shazarde." 


	3. Really

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne  
  
Really  
  
The reaction on Allen's face was definitely the one that Raffina had hoped to see. After she had told him that she was Leonone Shazarde's daughter, he laughed in her face (how rude!). Raffina would have punched him except for the hard stubble on his jaw.  
  
"What are you laughing at?"  
  
Allen sputtered out a few more snickers before finally calming down. "I'm sorry, but I could have sworn that you said that Leonone Shazarde was your father."  
  
"He is." Raffina confirmed. Allen's expression slowly changed from laughter to horror. "What?"  
  
"That's impossible."  
  
"That Leonone Shazarde's my father?"  
  
"Yes, that!"  
  
"Why?" Raffina crossed her arms before her chest. She hatted it when she had to repeat what she said. It wasn't like she was proud to have a father who had kept his secret heritages from her for so long…  
  
"Because unless my mother didn't tell me she had another child… It's just not possible."  
  
"What does this have to do with your mother?"  
  
"My mother, whatever your name is, was Leonone Shazarde's wife until death did them apart."  
  
Raffina stumbled backwards as a whirling sickness claimed her.  
  
"Wh-hat?"  
  
"I can't believe that you are so stupid as to try to be an impostor and not check out some backgrounds first." Allen frowned at the women in front of him; he was not pleased with today at all. First, his sister tried to kill him, then this woman slapped him (at this thought he started rubbing his poor face again.), and it turned out she's an imposter claiming to be his sister. This day's going to go straight to my hall of worst days…  
  
"This isn't possible," Raffina whispered in a choked whisper. "I must've gotten the wrong Shazarde."  
  
"I don't think so, The only Shazarde that you'd find on Gaea are the one's in this castle."  
  
"That's impossible, I am Leonone Shazarde's daughter. I'm sure that he wouldn't have been with my mother if he was married."  
  
"I told you before, he was married to my mother, I am his son. I don't know who you are, but you should really check your information before you go barging in to someone's castle and claim to be someone you apparently are not."  
  
"But… that means… Maybe I've gotten through the wrong dimension." Raffina was still on her own track of thoughts.  
  
"Hmm, You know that I could have you killed for posing to be a fake."  
  
Raffina ignored his comment; her mind was racing at the speed at light to understand what that meant. NO, he couldn't have. He… Oh my --, NO! Her mind screamed out the obvious, but she refused to believe it.  
  
"Why are you looking so shocked? I'm not a stupid blonde you know, I can figure out that you are an imposter myself." Allen looked smuged at his comment.  
  
"If what you say is true, then…" Raffina trailed out and whispered, "I'm a bastard child."  
  
"What?"  
  
An astounded Raffina slumped in to a nearby chair. Allen stared.  
  
"Are you still insisting that you are my sister?" He glared. however beautiful she was, he still won't fall for it that easily. "I want proofs, and it had better be good."  
  
"First of all, no one calls me a liar." She restrained herself from punching in his face. "And I have all the proofs you can handle." She said hotly. Raffina walked briskly out of the room and towards the quarters she was staying in to retrieve her evidence. Meanwhile, Allen sank onto the carpet, still trying to comprehend what was happening. Raffina reappeared five minutes later. She had a huge binder of files cocked beneath her arms. A satisfied look appeared on her face as she watched a question mark spread over Allen's face.  
  
"You said you want proof. Here they are." Raffina opened the heavy bound binder. "This is my birth certificate, my DNA tests and my military passport. It prints in both words and helix-graphic bytes that Leonone Shazarde and Annette Athgarn was my birth parents."  
  
"How do I now that you didn't forge them?" Allen asked suspiciously.  
  
"Here are my family pictures, I have videos on video drives that you can view with my portable cybernetic unit." With that, she took out a stack of pictures from the back of her files. "I thought these would come in useful if he refuses to admit who I am." Raffina handed a stack of photos in to Allen's hands. Then she went towards her quarters again.  
  
Allen flipped through the pictures, most of them had his father, Raffina and another women, probably Annette, on them. He gazed at the images with perplexed expressions. A frosty spasm of disgust trembled up his spin. He wouldn't. But it was all there. The blissful looks of love as his father kisses the Annette in these pictures. It was impossible. Maybe someone had painted these portraits of deception. But he had never seen anything so real before, it was as though they had a depth to them.  
  
At this moment, Raffina returns with what appears to be a metal book in her hands. She stood it before Allen and plugged in the batteries, controls, and what looked like a heavy miniature CD. Raffina inserted it in to a slot on the side. Music started to play before the screen lighted up. Laughter mixed in. A women's face appeared, a smooth peach complexion with beautiful black hair that clouded down to her hips. She was wearing a peculiar silver body suit of pale silvery blue that matched her sparkling eyes and clung to her shapely figure, she looked teenage. It was Annette. She ran gracefully around the manmade park, apparently searching for a place to hide. A girl moved in, the innocent pale face resembled much of the young women sitting by Allen even with an apparent bit of added weight back then, she looked five. The women and the girl were playing hid and seek with and unknown seeker. Silence eluded the film for an interlude of time. Then a man appeared. He was tall with a kind face. Golden hair parried his handsome face. His voice was taunting but gentle as he called to his Annette and daughter Raffina. Allen could feel his heart lurch to a halting stop. This was his father.  
  
Raffina looked up to Allen. He didn't resemble calmness. His jaw was clenched along with his hands. An apparent pulse thumped in his neck vein. He looked ready to explode. I've been there Allen, I know how you feel.  
  
"I've had enough! This can not be true. I refuse to believe it."  
  
Raffina stood up, still poised even with the shock. "There are some things that we would like to believe, and then there are those we wouldn't. I'm sorry, you have to accept this as much as I do. I like it even less." She paused and turned her back to him so he would not see the pain. "At least you aren't a bastard child.  
  
"In the meanwhile, I need a place to stay, this is my home too." And she looked back. Allen's features could not be read in the fading lighting of the fireplace. Raffina walked unconsciously toward the room she had claimed as her own. 


	4. Gaps

I don't own Escaflowne.  
  
Gaps  
  
The Shazardes still had a lot of adjusting to do since the two weeks that they've accepted the fact the late Lord Shazarde had sired a child out of wedlock. Raffina had not made it any easier by being herself considering that she's alien to the planet. Allen had to explain to her all about the Great War and Celena's past. Celena, being the almost perfect child (trapped in a women's body) adjusted quickly to all the changes that were made in order to fit Raffina in. Allen didn't notice too many changes in the daily routine since he was quite busy doing chores for the king. He had been promoted Warden of Austria, a job much like his old one. But less action, better title, and more money. The promotion was mainly because the king felt bad for using Allen's little sis' as a scapegoat and didn't want an angry Shazarde poking under him.  
  
It wasn't just the news flash that the late lord Shazarde wasn't much different from the rumors that had almost died down (but now resurfacing again) which troubled the Shazardes, but Raffina's daily routines also had a lot to contribute to it. Every mourning, she'd have her boom box blasted to the highest possible bass. At first, it had been a treasure to the household, seeing how a box could produce such interesting noises. It slowly changed though, since Raffina's up every mourning at five, blasting her heavy metal punk while practicing with her daily shooting and Aikido exercises.  
  
On a particular fine day when the skies were still stretching it's rosy fingers in the dawn, Tem was on his way to deliver a heavy envelope to Allen from the king when he met up with the particularly bewitching young lady. Raffina was wearing a filmy loose pantsuit for practicing her battle techniques when he spied her doing 8 mph on foot beside the river that flowed behind the Shazardes castle. He hid behind a tree and watched the beauty do a few tsuki, thrusts, with it, then ran through some of the jo basics. She was sweating like shit when he finally took up the courage to speak to her.  
  
"Hello, I can't help but find it interesting to see a lady running at such an early hour for pleasure." Tem spoke softly to her back so as not to frighten her. The lady froze in mid step. She bent down to pick something out of her left ankle.  
  
Raffina stood up, and spun around with her gun pointed to his nose. She didn't look too happy.  
  
"Hands up. Move and I'll blast you to the moon." Tem stumbled back in surprise. That was not the reaction he expected. He did as he was told anyway.  
  
"Blast me to the moon? Which one?" Tem chuckled softly. "I'm sorry, there's no need to point a stick at me. I didn't mean to be a bother." He saw Raffina relax after she searched his pockets.  
  
I'd be glad to give alms if you'd just ask."  
  
Raffina smirked. She pointed the laser at a man size tree twenty feet from her and pressed the trigger. Instantly, the top disappeared, a stump on fire appeared where the tree had been. Tem's jaw hang open as Raffina kept her smirk, but now a look of amusement mixed in.  
  
"Alms, I don't need." She walked towards the tree stump where the fire had diminished. "Targets, I do need."  
  
Tem was still numb. The thought that the tree could have been him kept playing over in his mind.  
  
"Sorry to scare you, but I'm having a bit of a bad day. Don't worry; the tree will grow back in a few years." She let the air between them vibrate a few minutes. "What's your name?" Raffina asked when she saw that Tem had snapped out of his trance.  
  
"Te-e-m"  
  
"Team? That's a weird name, but hey, it's Gaea, what can I expect?"  
  
"No ma'am, its Tem. That's a nice weapon you have there. Are you from Zailback?"  
  
"Let's see, Zailback… Are you talking about the Great War one?" Raffina answered before he could. "Of course you are. Um, no. I'm from Earth."  
  
"Earth? I've never heard of that town before. In fact, I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new here?"  
  
"Okay you dingbat, first of all, Earth is not a town. Second, how can you not know Earth! It's that big round ball of dirt in the sky." Raffina pointed up to the Mystic Moon.  
  
"You mean the Mystic Moon? Are you sure?" Tem asked suspiciously.  
  
"Do I look crazy to you?" Tem considered his options. Hmmm, well, she did threaten to blast me to the moons. And then she made a tree disappear with out even cursing the thing… Better keep my mouth shut.  
  
"Of course not, 


End file.
